Announcing the 2011 Woodminster Season

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Oakland's Summer Theater Under the Stars
Summer 2011 – 45th consecutive season of musical theater in Oakland's beautiful Joaquin Miller Park

Press contact: Kathy Kahn, woodminsterpr@yahoo.com, 510-418-8523
Theater contact: Harriet Schlader, harriet@woodminster.com, 510-531-9597

PRESS RELEASE (For immediate release)

Woodminster's 45th Season Opens With Oliver!
Cast of 42 Presents Musical Retelling of Dickens Classic

Kids Come Free program, $10 Previews, and half-price tickets for groups makes live theater affordable for local families

June 7, 2011, Oakland, CA -- Producers Associates, Inc. will open the 45th season of the Woodminster Summer Musicals with the classic Broadway musical, Oliver! playing July 8-17 at Woodminster Amphitheater in Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park. Oliver! is a musical retelling of Dickens' famous novel, Oliver Twist. The plot concerns the adventures of an orphan boy in 19th century London as he escapes abusive treatment in an orphanage and joins a group of pickpockets. Songs include "Where is Love," "It's a Fine Life," "I'd Do Anything," and of course the haunting "As Long As He Needs Me."

The show originally opened in London's West End in 1960, and ran for over 2600 performances. It came to the U.S. for a national tour in 1962, followed by a Broadway production opening in 1963. Oliver! has had a number of revivals in London and New York, and has been an audience favorite in regional theaters for decades. Many of the show's themes seem very current to the 21st century, and the music is familiar and timeless.

Woodminster’s Oliver! is directed by Joel Schlader. Choreography is by Carlos Lopez, with vocal direction by Kim Vetterli. The orchestra is composed of members of Musicians’ Local #6, conducted by Richard Vetterli. The cast of 42 includes professional and non-professional actors from 20 California cities.

Oliver! will be performed at 8 p.m. on July 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Tickets are $26-$42, with discounts for seniors, half-price tickets for groups of 25, and season tickets that offer a savings of about 15%. The organization continues its Kids Come Free program, which provides about 3,000 free tickets each season to children and teens 16 or younger. The organization also continues its $10 Preview Night, instituted in 2010, which opens the last dress rehearsal to the public for a flat $10 at the door. The Preview for Oliver! will be Thursday, July 7, at 8 p.m.

According to Harriet Schlader, Woodminster’s Managing Director, “We are proud of how many of our audience members saw their first live theater at Woodminster, and how they keep coming back year after year. With that in mind, we look for ways to keep ticket prices affordable. Our $10 Previews, along with our Kids Come Free program and half-price group tickets, bring American musical theater to people who otherwise might not get to enjoy it.”

Woodminster's Kids Come Free program has, for more than 15 years, provided free tickets for children and teens 16 and younger who attend any regular (not preview) performance with paying adults. The major sponsor of Kids Come Free, and sole sponsor for Kids Come Free to Oliver! is Chevron. Other sponsors in 2011 are Alexander & Baldwin/Matson Navigation Corporation, Clorox, Dance/10, Mechanics Bank, Strategy & Communications, The Reach for the Stars Foundation, and Wells Fargo.

The Woodminster Summer Musicals are performed under the stars at Woodminster Amphitheater, an open-air performance facility in Joaquin Miller Park high in the Oakland Hills. The park's spectacular views and serene woodsy environment made it the perfect setting for the amphitheater, cascades, reflecting pool, and paths that were originally built as a WPA project in 1939-40. For many East Bay families, it is a long-standing summer tradition to enjoy a picnic in the park and then see a musical at Woodminster.

Producers Associates, Inc. was founded in 1967 by the late James Schlader and his wife Harriet to provide affordable live summer family entertainment in the East Bay, and to foster a love of live theatre. For more than four decades, the organization, in partnership with the Oakland Park and Rec Department, has been producing summer musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater. Healthy season tickets sales, attendance by groups, and special opportunities for families have made Woodminster shows the best attended performances in Oakland. Today, it sells the highest number of individual tickets of any resident performing arts organization in the city. For more information about the 2011 season or history of the organization, visit www.woodminster.com.

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